1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to a planar heat dissipation structure; in particular, to a foldable planar heat dissipation structure that is easy to store and transport when in a default two-dimensional collapsed state, and capable of being folded to create a three-dimensional heat dissipation structure that evenly, rapidly cools down circuit boards/electrical components in an electronic device. The instant disclosure also relates to an electronic device that utilizes said foldable planar heat dissipation structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Adapters and power supply devices are essential electronic devices for the operation of various electrical appliances and equipment. Such electronic devices may have many electrical components disposed on the circuit board therein. These electrical components not only include components of high power consumption such as transformers, metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET), diodes and inductors, but also include components of low power consumption such as capacitors and resistors. When the electronic device is at work, if the heat generated by the electrical components therein cannot be dissipated effectively, the heat will be accumulated in the electronic device and causes the temperature of the electrical components to rise. Once the temperature of the electrical components gets too high, the electrical components may operate abnormally or even burnt out.
Take an adapter for example, it is used to convert an external voltage into the voltage required by an electronic appliance such as a portable computer. However, as the size of the adapter becomes smaller as electrical components therein become further integrated, heat dissipation has become a more serious problem.
For example, the casing of a conventional adapter is made of plastic. Because the material of plastic is unfavorable for heat dissipation, when the heat generated by the electrical components on the circuit board is transferred to the casing, the temperature on the regions of the casing corresponding to the components of high power consumption is usually higher than the temperatures on other regions of the casing. The high temperature at a specific region of the casing may cause a user to feel uncomfortable or even get burnt. Furthermore, the heat dissipation efficiency of the casing will be reduced because the heat is concentrated at the specific region of the casing.
Furthermore, as the size of electronic devices become shrinks, the space inside the electronic device reduces. Deducting the space required for electrical components inside the electronic device, the remaining space available for a heat dissipation structure is further limited. Therefore, it is more difficult to design the heat dissipation structure in such a limited space.
In summary, a better solution is needed to provide an improved heat dissipation structure that effectively evens the temperature distribution in an electronic device, occupies minimum interior space, has higher manufacturing efficiency, and is easy to store and transport.